Benzotriazole as inhibitor for copper with and without corrosion products in aqueous polyethylene glycol

Electrochemical methods, including polarization experiments and impedance spectroscopy, were used to evaluate the effectiveness of benzotriazole (BTA) in an aqueous solution of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in protecting polished archaeological copper or archaeological copper covered with corrosion products. The adsorption of PEG on the polished copper significantly limited the corrosion current. The presence of benzotriazole enhanced the protection of the polished copper, giving maximum protection at a concentration of 10(-2) mol l(-1) of BTA in 20 vol% PEG 400 solution. On the other hand, PEG solutions caused degradation of the corrosion products of the copper. This degradation increased with time. When BTA was added, the corrosion products were preserved and, the higher the BTA concentration, the more the corrosion current decreased. In PEG 400 solution protection of the corrosion products of the copper by BTA improved over time.